


Tuning Fork

by Aqualianbird



Category: Saint Seiya, cdz - Fandom
Genre: Developing Friendships, Friendship, Gen, Music, everyone lives au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 10:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18386393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aqualianbird/pseuds/Aqualianbird
Summary: Ever wondered what two of the most asocial characters of Saint Seiya would talk about if they ever had to share a beer ? Maybe not as broody as imagined, maybe not as comical as expected.





	Tuning Fork

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Français available: [Diapason](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18386771) by [Aqualianbird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aqualianbird/pseuds/Aqualianbird)



> This is a text I wrote as part of the "Saint Ffic Fest" my friend used to host on tumblr (a lots of awesome fics are archived at http://saint-ffic-fest-blog.tumblr.com if you're interested), also I will keep the tradition of posting the prompt I received as introduction :
> 
> Characters : Mime and Fenrir  
> Scenery : The forest  
> Instrument : Singing  
> Music : Wardruna or Apocalyptica
> 
> I also have posted a french version : https://archiveofourown.org/works/18386771
> 
> The theme of this Fest was “Music”, also I did try to mix my writing with music as much as possible. For this reason, I invite you to take part of an experiment : I worked some parts of the text meaning for them to be read while listening to the music you will find in the links.  
> When two parts are separated by ***, it means I recommend to stop the reading until the end of the piece, imagining Mime performing until the end. When a sentence ends with --- I recommend to stop the music.  
> Of course, the text can be read on its own too :)

The fur felt soft and warm, contrasting with the cold air biting his hands whenever he cleared a strand of hair out of his face. Snow was quietly falling around them, scarce but constant; and yet not a single snowflake had reached the wolf's body. For some reason, the young man had [this particular melody](https://youtu.be/lLNEPzUDXp0?t=1m26s) stuck in his head – maybe because he had been listening to Wardruna when his fellow God Warrior had knocked on his door; or maybe because the melancholic motif seemed to echo in the snowfall. Occasionally, the wind's blow would sneak in between the trees, rocking the lamp Fenrir was holding. More disturbing, however, were the numerous eyes glowing in the dark as a result of the light's oscillations – concentration was no easy task in the middle of so many judges.  
Fortunately, Mime had a good grasp of the situation now; the wounded animal laying before his knees only needed some basic medical attention. The young man reached for his bag : he would need alcohol and a little something to strengthen the beast's immune system to help her fight off a minor infection. He petted her collar, mindful to keep the wolf relaxed enough in her trance, before he disinfected her wounds. ---  
Begrudged to watch his comrade-in-arms silently apply ointments on a member of his pack, the young leader spoke up :  
\- So. You are going to make her better ... Right ?  
\- I am not a vet, Fenrir, declared Mime. If you wanted to be reassured, you should have called one.  
\- C'mon, dude ... You're good at this !  
\- I'm still not a vet. You are just lucky this seems to be benign.  
\- I told you already : there is no way I'd ask a human for help. Ever. It's not like they're reliable anyway ...  
The young leader hardly waited any longer to share his full reasoning :  
\- A human vet could do experiments on her or something ! Humans have no respect for animals or nature in general.  
\- I am a human ...  
\- You - well, yes, you are. But you are an okay human. You treat animals well. And, the way you calmed her with music … I mean, nobody else can do that. I am sure she is as relaxed and pain-free as possible right now.  
Mime weighted his comrade's words for a moment; just like the wolves lurking at the fringes of the illuminated circle, Fenrir was utterly protective of his pack - and it seemed like desperation had not been the only reason behind his coming at the musician's door ...  
\- Still, he replied. This is not in my job description; you can't randomly call me out of my house like that.  
\- But ... I knocked before entering, and I said please ? That's how Thor tells me to do it.The young man had almost let surprise rise his eyebrows.  
\- Thor ?  
The majority of the God Warriors had only barely met before their battle against the Knights of Athena. Additionally, Mime had not tried to keep in touch with his comrades-in-arms in their gifted second life - at all; also, it took him a while to remember about the giant warrior of Phecda, inconveniently named after their God of Thunder.  
\- Well, yeah, him. He knows the ways of humans, right ?  
The young man wondered if Fenrir knew about his own land's mythology.  
\- You mean you have been listening to what a brutal, unreliable and tyrannical human has said ?  
His comrade blushed.  
\- I never said that ! Besides, he is half giant, so not very human either ... I mean, he is half trustworthy, he concluded raising his chin.  
\- Unlike me, who is zero percent trustworthy, and yet still gets called to take care of your family. I really wonder what half trustworthy means …  
Fenrir showered the redhead with snow :  
\- Shut up, stupid-ass !

Of course, one needed much more to shake the musician's composure off, not to mention his current investment in a very important task :  
\- Easy there, he replied. You could scare her out of her trance; it's not good to be brutally waken up like that.  
The young leader immediately stopped while Mime reached for a small percussion on which he soon [began to play](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tGNtwGsML8) a gentle beat.  
To ensure the wolf's peaceful awakening, the young man decided to play again the song he had used to induce the trance in the first place – another Wardruna piece, faithfully to his current musical crush.  
As a general rule, one should usually refrain from performing such instrumentally rich songs on their own. But the Benetnach warrior had a couple of aces up sleeves most humans weren't even aware of; also, he confidently kept the beat, enriching it with an equally soft rhythm played on the percussion's wooden sides which somewhat followed the original piece's introduction. The musician paid special attention to the wolf laying besides his knees, for the meantime still plunged in her deep sleep. Snow kept serenely falling around them while Fenrir took a seat nearby, scrutinising his comrade's every move just like the first time Mime had played that evening. However, little by little, as he dived into his rendition, the redhead lost track of anything happening beyond his and the canid's personal space, from the wind smoothly teasing some frozen twigs to the wolves surrounding the small circle formed by the light.  
Once he felt connected to his “patient”, the young man wielded years of arduous practice in a way his father and training comrades would have most certainly condemned : he maintained the percussion's beat via pulsations he regularly initiated with his cosmos. And because he was using the air as tool to interact with the drum's membrane instead of his limbs, the musician's hands remained free to play the violin's melody. It was a trick Mime frequently used to accompany himself on the harp, lyre and other instruments.  
He concentrated on the wolf again. If the first time he had accentuated the rhythmic and repetitive aspects of the song, the redhead now planed to play on its texture and dynamism to gradually connect her to her surroundings. With great pleasure, Mime noticed she had already displayed positive signs to the sound of his lyre.

Nevertheless, the hardest part was yet to come; the lyre and the beat, he could play in his sleep. But he would soon need to sing.  
Not that Solringen's lyrics were particularly challenging; for the better part of the song, the same two verses were echoed over by the soloist and the chorus. Though neither did it mean the song should be deemed trivial to perform, as splitting one's attention into three different tasks – one of them involving cosmos nonetheless – could be seen as utterly bold. No, the source of the musician's concern dwelt elsewhere : even if he knew the lyrics by heart, even when he sang in his native language and nailed every single key, even if he had years of creative experience to use, he still lacked that one crucial element that made vocalists great; according to himself, Mime had the most dull, monotonous, and tiresome singing voice ever heard on earth.  
The young man shook his head. As any good musician, the redhead persisted despite his doubts. He focused on tastefully accentuating his beat to compensate for his mediocre voice, all this without neglecting to execute the smoothest crescendo he was capable of; he wanted everything to be perfectly lead to a climax.

When he felt the wolf's attention had been fully awakened, Mime stopped everything. Complete silence fell on the glade. Not even the wind could be heard, and it seemed snow had ceased to fall for a moment. It was as though even the trees had been listening to the musician this entire time ...

A heartbeat later, Mime intoned the glorious conclusion of the piece. Definitively the hardest part of the song to play, especially considering the fact he was performing alone. With the lyre, he tried to simultaneously render the violin's melody and the sopranos' part while reciting as loudly as he tastefully could the men's lines, all this without neglecting the percussion's cadence. The amount of concentration required was tremendous; the young man remained barely aware of the existence of anything other than his instruments. He could not miss a single beat.  
Fortunately, that part was intense but short; he soon returned to the song's previous construction. While he could not catch his breath quite literally yet, it did feel relaxing to render a known part where the lead singer and soprano chorus dialogued, answering to each other the same two verses about the summer, the sun's ring and the rooster's song.  
With his rendition requiring less concentration, the young man remembered to check on his patient, now fully awakened. But despite her regained autonomy he found the wolf still laying by his knees; she had moved only enough to be able to watch the musician play. Mime smiled. The redhead then prepared himself for the piece's last measures, which he planned to perform just like on the original record : first, he stopped the lyre and the beat, following then with a decrescendo diffusing the last two verses of the song.

***

Silence gradually grew on the glade. Little by little, Mime regained full awareness of his surroundings : the snow serenely falling, his comrade sitting by his right side, the other wolves who had come closer during his performance, the trees smoothly rocked by the wind, the distant hooting of an owl somewhere in the night ...  
Until a quiet voice called his attention back to the clearing :  
\- Could you play this again ? Please ?  
Fenrir's cheeks regained their brighter colours.  
\- The rest of the pack seems to love it, but I'm the only one who can ask.  
He scratched the back of his head and changed his sitting position. Mime had a hard time deciding whether he was surprised by this sudden request or not. Ultimately, though, only one emotion prevailed : curiosity. After all, the young man had always craved to understand the psychology of all living beings.  
\- Only if you tell me why you like Thor. For real.  
His comrade pouted. Mime locked his gaze on the strand of hair covering the warrior's nose-bridge while the latter stayed still, his arms and legs crossed. For a long time, the redhead thought Fenrir would not give in and he'd be on his way back home soon – something he would not deplore either.  
\- He is a good human, okay ? It looks like those are rare, but exist after all. Or maybe it's because he is half Giant ? But so he is loyal and also he is a very good hunter. So sometimes, when I really really need it, I ask him for a bit of help. It's for the pack. Not good hunting seasons happen sometimes, but when too much food is missing ... Anyways so he always gives what he can and never even asks for anything in return. Which makes him a very good human. Not selfish or greedy. So, will you play now ?  
The young man hid his amusement adjusting the position of the small percussion by his side.  
\- How about I play something else ? Maybe you will like this song as well; it's from the same band. It's called [Pertho](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp5wSk8tp_Q), and it's about dwarves feasting.

 

Once again, Mime chased his everlasting dissatisfaction with his singing voice and tried his best at replicating the particular timber he loved so much in his idol's voice. The small glade they were in helped the musician in keeping his rendition quite faithful to the atmosphere of the original piece for it echoed to some extent his voice and the drum's beat. Of course, despite his skills he could not fill in for the choir parts all by himself; also, the young man tried to compensate by performing the chorus one octave lower than the rest of the song.

During the second verse, Mime moved his left hand from the percussion to the lyre, making use of his special trick to keep up the beat. Said verse being relatively short he soon enough sang the chorus again, this time accompanying himself on the lyre. The motif was quite simple, but once again the challenge dwelt in the concentration required to harmoniously render three different parts at once.  
The reason Mime had decided to play this particular song was because, unlike the requested one, it featured a lyre solo – the occasion for him to shine. Being in his comfort zone the young man could make use of all the nuance and subtlety his skill was capable of.

The rest of the pack came to form a closer circle around them. Some wolves even laid down in the snow nearby. What Mime loved most was when they would tilt their heads or move ears in reaction to his music; the young man liked to believe he had spent enough time playing among animals to know these wolves appreciated his rendition. Fenrir, on the other hand, was observing him with such an intense and genuine fascination the musician could only draw comparisons with a behaviour he had only witnessed in children so far …

***

The song was fairly short. Also, as soon as the last chord had stopped resonating, Fenrir claimed :  
\- Again !  
\- Heey, not so fast : this is not a concert either.  
\- But … Please ?  
With his head tilted, his arms wrapped around his knees and his clear-eyed gaze locked straight into his interlocutor's eyes, the young leader could honestly pretend to have mastered the puppy look.  
\- Oh wait ! -He abruptly straightened his back.- I am indeed the one in debt to you. But so maybe this would help.  
\- What would help ? Asked Mime, confused.  
The Aliot warrior disappeared in between the trees, only to come back a few minutes later with some sort of plastic box.  
\- So, you can of course call me on any favour, he explained after having negotiated a rough landing in the snow. But in the meantime, let me show you some hospitality ! Here, this is a royal snack.  
Fenrir proudly held out a raw piece of meat. Slightly larger than the size of a hand, of dark, wine-ish shade and what the musician would qualify as “unspeakable” shape, it seemed to have caught the interest of the rest of the pack while putting Mime's composure skills through the mill. The redhead did not want to know what was supposed to be “royal” about this; he imagined the sole reason it did not spill any blood was because the fluid had frozen.  
\- Thanks, but I'm not hungry, he finally answered trying to contain his disgust.  
\- Oh ! Yes, that's alright … ammm, I must have something for hospitality other than eating … Ah, here ! Thor gave me this last time.  
The young leader was now holding two bottles of beer.  
\- This is okay for human hospitality, right ?  
Mime gazed down at the bottles : their labels betrayed the outstanding origin of those products. After the first incident, goods purchased at one of Asgard's finest brewery were the last thing he had expected to see coming out of that box ...  
\- Indeed, it is.  
The young man opened both bottles to reduce his risks of returning home with clothes soaked in beer.  
\- You really must be spending a lot of time with Thor, he commented.  
\- I did not say that ! Stop doing it !  
\- Well, you keep talking about him. Additionally, this is high-quality beer : you two either spend a lot of time together, or Thor is incredibly generous … Or just really naïve.  
\- But. Like I told you. He is a good human. Unlike you apparently, Fenrir pouted.  
The redhead tried to contain a smirk.  
\- I'm not an okay human any more ?  
\- I thought so. But you keep being mean.  
\- How so ?  
\- You keep …Fenrir stopped abruptly.  
\- When you do ... You did …  
As his frustration increased a curious grimace grew on his face, becoming somewhat reminiscent of a dog's snarl.  
\- You haaaaave ...  
It was clear he had troubles translating his thoughts into words.  
\- Hurt one of your pack ?  
\- What ? No ! -He quickly checked- No, it's something else ...  
\- Insulted you ?  
\- No … Not really.  
\- Hmm … What could it be ? Said the young man faking concentration.  
\- It's not something as awful as the examples you gave. But you have been annoying ! You keep saying things I did not say like it was the truth !  
\- Did I get anything wrong ?  
The young leader pouted again.  
\- Well, no. But … Oh, see ? You do it again ! Stop being annoying !  
Mime chuckled.  
\- It's called teasing. That's what I was doing : teasing you. By exposing truths you want to hide.  
Fenrir weighed those words.  
\- Yeah … Why do you do that ? Will you stop ?  
\- Why don't you want to tell those things ?  
This time, instead of displaying his usual signs of agitation, the Aliot warrior just glared at his guest.  
\- I think I understand … You know the answers, but you take amusement in watching others getting embarrassed … That's very human of you, he concluded narrowing his eyes.  
The harpist, on the other hand, smirked; he was indeed enjoying himself a lot.  
\- Well, sort of … But there is a legitimate question behind all this : why do people lie so much ?  
Mime started petting the wolf still laying at his feet.  
\- Human relationships, connexions, do come in many “shapes and colours”, and every single individual should have the right to privacy as well as absolute control over where they set their own boundaries, which makes a thorough answer to this question utterly complex. But I sincerely believe we would all gain a lot by being much more honest with each other in general. And with ourselves.  
The young man had years worth of contemplations ready to share on the matter. But in between the overflow of words trying to overcome the barrier of his mouth all at once and the memories still fresh of his battle against the Phoenix Saint, Mime remained silent. The subject had taken a new dimension since, painfully carving itself some extra room in the musician's mind.  
Fenrir's mind, on the other hand, was not troubled by the reflections haunting his comrade :  
\- Yeah, humans are such hypocrites. I didn't understand everything you said, but yes. I knew this since I was seven. You should not bother others because you are slow to understand something.  
The redhead immediately recovered his smirk.  
\- Even if I'm bothering bad humans ?  
The question resulted in another curious snarl on Fenrir's face.  
\- Yes, even. And you are smart, you already know those answers I'm sure. So you should stop. Better play music instead !  
The young leader displayed some of his earlier enthusiasm, obviously hoping to hear another song.  
\- You still want to hear music performed by a bad human like me ?  
He took a moment to think about it.  
\- Well … Unless you keep being mean … Please ? His comrade asked with a smile.Mime raised his eyebrows.Here is someone not indulging himself in the practice of ass-kissing …- I'll stop teasing you yes … for now. But just to be clear : I am not a member of your pack either. I am not going to follow your directives simply because you said so. Understood ?  
Fenrir took his most serious expression and nodded.  
\- We- yes, you are a visitor ! That's it.  
\- Good.

The young man pulled the percussion closer and stroked it with the tip of his fingers, trying to choose his next song. Right away, [the melody haunting the musician's mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLNEPzUDXp0) imposed itself as obvious choice; however, despite his strong desire to hear the song Mime decided against performing it : if he could use his cosmos to play the drums without hands, the list of instruments on which this trick worked was short. Furthermore, unlike the songs previously performed, Mannar-Liv featured a complex harmony rich in texture, obtained through the use of many instruments and the polyphony of each partition. Also, even if the musician had known how to play on every instruments with his cosmos, any combination with the lyre would amount to trying to write with both hands at the same time. And if by some sort of miracle he would have managed to master this hurdle, the musician felt it impossible for him to faithfully render the piece with only two or three instruments at hand, and especially without the violin's characteristic timber. No matter how strong it was, a cosmos would never change the sound of an instrument into another.  
His favourite piece disregarded, the choice of the song became only more difficult; what would he play next ? The young man was fond of all of Wardruna's songs, but only a handful of those were accessible to his skills-set – or more accurately, none of these songs were meant to be played alone.

Mime glanced at his comrade; Fenrir was not displaying any signs of impatience, but the eyes of the Aliot warrior betrayed his expectations. The intensity of the young leader's enthusiasm astonished the musician once more; it reminded him of the time he and his classmates from the conservatory had dressed as elves to support Santa Claus' actor evolution around the town-square in music.  
The presence of this innocent gaze in the look of a warrior in his twenties seemed to be a natural consequence of Fenrir's early isolation from human society; he had not lived the experiences most had endured at this age. In Mime's opinion, the young leader was the living proof of the level of corruption in human societies with its ever-increasing number of selfish, greedy and power-thirsty individuals, turning every child into leery, closed-minded, dishonest and equally power-thirsty individuals; a vicious circle breaking down every single spirit to the shape and docility of the cast. Furthermore, the majority of the animals living with humans -most notably dogs- never displayed any signs of the moral corruption observed in their "masters". The latters could argue as much as they wanted this was due to the animals' "inferior intelligence", Mime would remain convinced until the end this fact reflected the vile nature of humans more than anything else; after all, the only difference between an animal learning to live in this society and a child was the height of the language barrier. Because of their limited understanding of the human languages, animals did not perceive the full depth of the humans' scurvy schemes. Fenrir, having been cut from that world since the age of seven, proved the inverse to be true as well; he had conserved the honest and straight-forward nature every child seemed to be born with.  
Mime found himself envying the young leader's position for a moment; Fenrir had had the space to grow up to become a truly free spirit, untouched by the influence his potential classmates, teachers, neighbours and other close relatives could have had on him, but first and foremost free of the pressures and parental expectations.

The musician put an end to his internal monologue and chose his next piece; he would play a song entitled [NaudiR](https://youtu.be/jOkqJ92ETg0?t=22s). Of course, following the same logic that lead him to discard Mannar-Liv, it was impossible for him to accurately render the introduction of the song; however, in this case, the young man felt he could remain faithful to its general structure by creating his own dramatic ouverture using solely his lyre, his voice and percussion. The rest of the song was centered around the lyre.  
Decided, the redhead turned the absent-minded strokes into a confident rhythm. Soon, he broke out a beat and played accords on the lyre, completing the melody with humming. He immediately caught the assistance's attention.

When he interrupted the play after the introduction, the musician could feel all eyes hung on his moves, and especially Fenrir's who seemed about to open his presents on Christmas day. If Mime had to describe him at the moment, he would not use any other words than “an eight year old boy in the body of a twenty-something”. Mime switched instruments before he continued playing, feeling more at ease when in direct contact with the strings after all. While pulling the first chord, the young man made it a point to discretely observe his comrade throughout the performance - he wanted to understand and measure his fascination for music. Mime was especially curious considering how Fenrir had basically rejected his humanity and had lived isolated from their society for the better part of his life; he was “pure” of the usual preconception and prejudices, group effect or even generational influences those he had met – and even himself – had assimilated. How did it factor into his approach of music ? What would he qualify as “music” ? What did he consider being “normal” music ? Classical music ? Pop ? Or what would he qualify as odd in the musical world ? From experience, the musician knew some animals appreciated music while some others remained completely indifferent to it : would he be able to understand why thanks to Fenrir ? Could he create music that would allow him to better connect with one of his favourite audience on earth ? Could he discover some new elements to add to the timeless debate of what made art, art ?  
For now, however, his only certainty was the young leader's constant and genuine enthusiasm as displayed throughout the successive performances of Wardruna's songs ...

***

After silence had fell on the glade again, and the atmosphere of song had dissipated enough, Mime tried to ask :  
\- Tell me; how much do you know about music ?  
\- Not much, answered Fenrir. I remember my mother had a beautiful voice. She often sang to me before sleep. Sometimes during the day too, but so …  
The young leader frowned.  
\- I think she knew how to play the … arf, what's the big black thing called ?  
\- The piano ?  
\- Yeah, something like that … But it was a long time ago.  
They both stayed silent for a while; Mime didn't know whether Fenrir needed a moment to grieve or not. The latter, however, soon spoke out again :  
\- Oh ! Thor listens to music !  
\- Great ! What kind of music does he listen to ?  
The Aliot warrior showed his best smile before answering :  
\- Thor says it's called “metal”.  
\- Nice … So you do know stuff !  
The musician found himself lost in a conversation he had initiated; despite his thirst of knowledge, he had doubts regarding the results he expected out of this, and, as it turned out, they had ventured into a topic on which he had very limited knowledge.  
Fenrir on the other hand seemed eager to share his musical experience.  
\- Last time we listened to a strange band … Ammm … Wait I'll remember ! Acopo … Apaco- no.  
\- Apocalyptica ?  
\- Yes ! Yes that ! You know them too ?  
\- Broadly. They are quite famous, and since they play on cellos it tickled my musical curiosity.  
\- Oh then maybe you can play a song from them ? I really liked some of their songs.  
\- Sorry, I'm not so familiar with their repertoire ...  
His comrade looked confused.  
\- But, he protested after a while. Thor says they play very known songs, only on different instruments. You can't do that ?  
\- I can, but not like they do : metal music is not really my cup of tea, Mime declared.  
\- Ahhh … Okay, I guess I should have known.  
After he finished speaking, the young leader tilted his head as his eyes drifted to the right.  
\- Known what ?  
\- That you would not like metal. It's music that fits like, Thor, more. It's fast and loud and rough ...  
The young man stopped moving, his gaze locked on Fenrir.  
\- … when he shows pictures of the players they don't look like the humans I see at Hilda's place or you. They don't look like they spend much time at ... hairdressers ... or shops ... or I don't know what else. You, on the other hand, are a very -  
\- If you meant to say girly or gay, I will strangle you, Mime interrupted.  
Fenrir froze mid sentence, possibly unaware of his gaping mouth.  
\- And for the record, I know plenty of girls who like this genre, some being very “girly” as well. This has nothing to do with taste.  
Actually, Mime's only reference was a classmate from the days he frequented music academy, who aside from being their grade's top harpist had also formed a metal band of some sort. He lacked the solid statistics which would have ensued from a wider circle of friends, but for what it was worth he had attended said classmate's concert once and had seen girls with various styles there.  
At any rate, the Benetnach warrior had never opposed the use of some “fight fire with fire” policy. He did not doubt those people existed, even if he had never seen them; also, as long as he remained aware of the fact he was crossing the line between truth and lie, he could allow himself to breach the rule sometimes ... Smashing down people's stupid prejudices like that was just so worth it.  
\- I was going to say civilised, declared Fenrir. You are a very … err, city person. Appreciating delicate things. Which is why I thought it made sense you don't like metal.  
Now the young man was the one standing agape – or at least he would have been had it not been for his poker-faced skills. He should have expected that someone isolated from society since childhood would display a different set of prejudices than those who had mocked him all his life for behaving “like a girl”.  
\- This still does not have much to do with the fact I don't like metal, he replied in a calmer tone. Some taste just have no particular reason attached to it, like why one likes red more and others orange more even though those colours are fairly close to each other on the spectrum. Sometimes the answer is “just because”. And we should not ignore nor lie to ourselves about those tastes. We never need a deep reason to justify liking this or that : if it's not hurting anybody, then the mere fact we prefer spending time doing this or that over something else should be enough.  
Mime sighed.  
\- I don't understand why people try so hard to meddle in other's interests or police their pass-times. I am a man and I can act however the hell I want to. And the heartbreaking truth is, too many people find themselves doing stuff they hate or saying stuff they do not think or even condone. Because some foolish humans have decided they know better, or that random sets of physical traits you were born with should dictate your personality or future.  
Silence fell on the glade. It seemed like the young man had lost some of his usually excellent control over himself. One could also assume the wolves had sensed the redhead's perturbation : the one he had healed stood up and tried to lick his face. Mime recovered his smile- It's important to be strong and stubborn in this context. To stay true to ourselves. For our own happiness and the sake of others, he concluded while petting the wolf. Fenrir pondered over his comrade's words for a very long time. Maybe the subject of his rant had become too abstract for the wild-bred warrior ...- Suuuuuuuuuure, he finally uttered, still confused. Do you mean … Like, I should not go live with other humans if I don't want to … ?  
The young man did not expect this particular interpretation of his little speech; nevertheless, it did stay faithful to his original message.  
\- Indeed. If it makes you happier to stay near the pack, do so. And I am not going to call you “domesticated” or anything just because you also enjoy spending time with Thor.  
\- Really ? The young leader beamed. It does not show my destiny should be in a city ? Or that I can't escape my true nature or something ?  
\- No, it does not … Don't wolves sometimes leave a pack to visit friends in other packs ?  
Fenrir took that comment at heart.  
\- So, I can visit Thor and still not be part of human society ?  
\- Absolutely, Mime smiled.  
\- Awesome ! I like visiting Thor … And some other things humans do ... Like music.  
The shade of pink tinting his cheeks grew in intensity, but it was with a renewed confidence that the young leader added :  
\- You too … I would like to visit you sometimes ...  
After the numerous occasions in which he had been surprised by his comrade that night, it greatly pleased the musician to know he had guessed at least one fact right.  
\- Just don't bring me any dead animals, please. I like my food processed and cooked like the delicate and civilised human I am, he joked.  
When the Aliot warrior's laughter had stopped resonating and his “patient” stood up to incite her friends to play, Mime finally asked :  
\- Would you like me to show you how to play music ?  
Fenrir frenetically nodded. The young man proceeded to teach him the name of every chord of his lyre and the different ways of pulling the strings. The young leader turned out to be a surprisingly patient student who did his best to follow the harpist's instructions despite a complete lack of musical background. However, careful not to let his comrade grow frustrated -or worse, bored- by his beginner's skills, after Fenrir successfully played “happy birthday” twice in a row, Mime handed him the small percussion he had brought and said :  
\- Let's try to play a song together !

 

[Later that night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjmu6ufn8iU), in the same little glade surrounded by frozen trees and covered in snow, and despite the temperatures having considerably fallen, the voices of two young man filled the air once again, followed by the sound of percussions and lyre, rendering the themes of yet another Wardruna song, carried away by the wind in the endless Asgardian night.


End file.
